Reviews by BeerTruth:

Thanks to unclejedi for this monster. Enjoyed this one while watching a Halloween themed flick. Slither, a movie that many have overlooked.

12 oz. bottle poured into a nonic.

Pours a clear deep chesnut with a full two finger off-white head that slowly dies down to a nice layer. Stickiness is a web of goodness, very attractive beer to look at. Smell is of earthy hop deliciousness with a sublte caramel malt background. A slight hint of evergreen nectar tingles the nose as well. Taste is a wonderful blend of malt and hop. Up front is a leaf-like autumn hop profile with some toasted barley and sweet caramel. Aftertaste is nutty wood flavor that has a tingle of grapefruit. Slick medium bobied mouthfeel with mild carbonation. Wow, this is my new Fall seasonal beer for sure. Pumpkin Ales?...no thanks. Marzens?...I'll pass. Oktoberfests'?...um, nope. Nosferatu?...More please!!! I gotta get more of this stuff before the snow starts falling.

More User Reviews:

A: Dark coppery exit from the bottle, is a dark ruby ice tea coloring in the vessel with a dense nature and slow isolated instances of macro-effervesce. Dark walnut toned head is creamy at .5 inches with an average rate of retention. Minimal speckled lacing.

S: Nose is lightly flowery orange and spicy citrus and grapefruit. Toasted grains with hints of fresh pine resins with a light-medium delivery and short duration. Nice combo, just wish it had more emphasis. Was near its end of enjoy by may have been a factor.

Beer is a filtered, very deep red. The head dissipated rather quickly and leaves behind a little lacing. Strong hop bit on the nose. Very hoppy on the tongue as well. I'm not getting much more than hop out of this. Personally, I don't like IPAs, and I know this is a red/amber, but it has that bug spray, IPA taste. Not a fan.

This Nosferatu doesn't hide from the light - it embraces it. Glowing ruby - or are they blood red? - highlights abound from this clear but very deep coloured Amber Ale. Its head is no bigger than the foam you'd skim off a simmering bone broth but impressively manages to cling to the glass.

This bouquet is downright dazzling. It magnificently manages to cram herbal, piny, and citrus hop elements into a tall order of malt that smacks of caramelly confections. It is a sizable and rich aroma with enough depth and dimension to leave you smelling it for hours.

Vampires are often portrayed as possessing some kind of seductive allure - this beer definitely has it. This 4-pack left me wanting to drive the 5 hours it takes back to the brewery and buy as much as my credit card will allow. Toothsome flavours of toffee brittle and apple butter are contrasted against tastes of roasted peaches, grapefruit zest, and pine resin. Delicious.

Nosferatu definitely has some bite - and that's not just a bad pun on my part. All this hoppiness provides an especially spicy and herbal brand of bitterness that brings that most abused of beer terms - "crisp" - to new levels. It has a clipping, dry finish which is a welcomed balance to the initial waves of toffee-ish sweetness brought on by such an ample malt bill.

Nosferatu has long been one of my favourite seasonals. Many a Halloween it has sucked my wallet dry. But so far as I'm concerned this hearty combination of sweet malt and multifaceted hops is a gustatory masterpiece. The fact that it's so irresistibly drinkable even at 8% alcohol tells you something about just how much flavour it offers. Here's hoping this fall release is eternal.

I have had the pleasure of sampling this a few times in the past and had a pint last night on tap, this had been sitting for a few weeks waiting to be drank here at home.Poured into a impy pint glass a nice clear copper/amber color with a tight 1/2 finger light reddish tinted head that left a nice ring as it settled,aromas of roasted nuts,dark fruit and a real noticable leafy hop presence wich I found more profound out of the bottle than on tap.Big fruity profile on the palate up front with notes of brown sugar with that leafy,piney hop presence coming thru into the finish as well a light alcohol zing.I like a good American strong ale and this is another top notch one in my book it has alot of different flavors and character going on.

Appearance  This was one of the most beautiful heads that Ive ever seen. It was an off off-white, more like a creamy not quite yellowish-white, and seemed a mile thick. It left wonderful lacing on the inside of my Chimay glass and little quarter-sized pits of foam on top of the liquid.

The beer itself was a thick, hazy orange tinted with brown. I mean, I wanted to take a picture of this thing and frame it up on my wall.

Smell  The sharp, rank malts are like a Barley Wine. They are pungent and very exciting to whiff. The sharp sweet aroma is hard core sugar, most like table and cane. There are also some serious hops in here that I missed at the smell. Its like BW in the day time and IPA at night.

Taste  This is like a good BW but with a strong malt backbone. The sugar is pure cane now. Together this is raw, kind of winey malts with big, harsh sugars.

Mouthfeel  This ASA is medium-bodied with little sense of alcohol. Its actually bitter in back of the tongue and has a nice, gliding feel on the cheeks.

Pours a murky copper, burnt amber color with a light tan head, small and receding leaving the smallest amount of lacing along the sides of the glass. Aroma was sweet and malty - lots of heavily toasted caramel malts, giving a nice backing sweetness and toasty feeling, along with a decent sized handful of hops, floral and lightly peppery around the edges, adding a bit to the sweetness but more to the herbal and bitter side of the aromatics. Nosferatu has a pretty powerful nose; strong and robust, but not fear-inducing or overly abrasive.

The first thing that hits the palate is the solid malt infrastructure. It rolls out on the tongue and coats the mouth to hold steady and pave the way for the upcoming flavor rush. Caramel and toffee malts line the walls, along with a grape and plum flavored sweetness that kicks into high gear almost immediately. The malt displays some other characteristics, like toasted bread, sweet and buttery, with a touch of brown sugar and/or molasses. The alcohol is there, but not too strong, and give it that "booze-soaked" dark fruit profile that is common in many strong ales and barleywines.

Don't let the malt fool you, though - the hops are no stranger to Nosferatu. On the nose, they were more detectable as peppery and herbal, but on the palate they come off as more floral and citrusy, as they bring some lighter fruits to the table; grapefruit, apricot, faint oranges. Bitterness remains on the lower side, meaning this doesn't quite resemble an IPA or a DIPA, but the hops still play a huge role in this beer's flavor. Aftertaste finishes with a floral, peppery warmth and a fading, boozy raisin flavor. Medium body, almost on the thick side, just a touch away from being sticky - slightly wet and slick with medium carbonation.

I've been wanting to try this one for a while now, and I'm glad I finally did. Wonderful flavors all around. I've heard this one compared to Arrogant Bastard often. Is it better? Tough call. I think I'll give the edge to AB, because of it's abrasive, yet controlled hop profile and pronounced bitterness while remaining so malty and drinkable. But Nosferatu is still a damn good beer that I wouldn't pass up if given the chance to have again.

A: A light copper color with great clarity and a long lasting light-tan head.

S: A rich malty aroma with a moderately-strong citrus and resinous pine hops aroma. The aroma is complex but I get all malt hops and alcohol with little else getting past.

T: A strong grainy malt flavor with a firm hops bitterness complimented by a decent amount of alcohol. There is a moderate citrus hops flavor. The balance is pretty bitter with an off-dry finish and a linger hops bitterness in the the after taste.

Flavor - rich but not overtly sweet malt base with distinct plum skin character and a touch of earthiness, golden raisin is back, rose, sandalwood, blackcurrant hop character with lightly catty bitterness lingering in a long bitter finish. Peppery alcohol is detectable, but enhances mouth feel along with creamy vanilla character. Very faint orange rind.

Overall - Rewarding for those willing to pay attention. One of those you could also just let slide down without a thought, though the bitter finish does hurt that quality a little. Very pretty and surprisingly complex strong ale.

My friend Brian gave me this. Cheers Brian! Already reviewed this on-tap when I visited Great Lakes. I wanted to review the bottle to see how they stack up against each other.

On-tap review I said:
A: Nice dark reddish bronze colored ale. Some ruby redness on the edges against the light. Poured a nice 1 finger white fluffy head that reduced to a nice small cap. Very attractive brew.

Bottle: Not as deep and not as ruby highlights as I remember from the on-tap. Hazy, mysterious and moody - fitting for the name of the drink!

On-tap review I said:
S: Holy smokes - massive hops. Mix of bitter and fruit. Really impressive smell. A more floral note arose toward the end of the drink. You can detect the strength but does not have a strong alcohol smell.

Bottle: Not the impact of on-tap. Rum-like alcohol came across immediately. Hops are there but not that impactful.

On-tap review I said:
T: As you would expect, a touch of caramel malt to keep it grounded but a wallop of hops. Some powerful bitterness with amazingly succulent grapefruit. Really chewy - plenty of interest. The alcohol is there and gives you a nice warming sensation - amazingly well masked.

Bottle: Bigger malt and less hop than the on-tap. Has a cloying sour aftertaste.

On-tap review I said:
M: Medium carbonation gave this quite a bit of life. Was fairly smooth but the finish delivers a bit of an acidic bite.

Bottle: Pretty much the same. Aftertaste is more aggressive and acidic.

On-tap review I said:
D: It's a masterful brew. Really powerful. It would be so easy for it to go off the deep end but it all holds together in a fantastically well coordinated way. The high drinkability and high ABV make this a dangerous brew. It packs a punch.

Bottle: I gave on-tap an A. The bottle falls short. A part of the impact of the on-tap was how big malt and hops were and how well balanced it all was. The lack of hops in the bottle throws off the balance and allows the alcohol to have too much focus. Still a really enjoyable and interesting beer. Like always, once you try on-tap, it's tough to go back to the bottle.

Named after one of the scariest vampires of all time. Deep reddish amber color comes off very clear, and the lacing does a great job of sticking to the glass. Massive toasted biscuity nose, with some sweetness and some hop resin. Smooth malty body, big kiss of sweetness to start but then the malt rails in hard with a pleasing toasted graini- ness, which stays. Some rounded dark caramel adds to the sweetness, as does the dark, fruity alcohol. Hops may not beat this beer down with bitterness, but the oily resin flavor keeps things in check. As the beer warms a little, it unfolds into a lovely sipper; it's easily a mood beer for the cooler months.

Purchased from the Market Basket in Brookfield, WI. Pours a dark amber body with an orange tinted off-white head. Aroma of beet sugar and sweet hops. Full bodied with brown sugar sweetness that leads to a hoppy dry finish. Great drinkability, I always want a second when I finish the first one.

Deep amber red with a nice sticky fluffy one inch head on top. Toffee caramel with piney citrus aromas. Nice.

First sip is caramel apple toffee mixed with a lovely citric pine hop flavor. Nicely balanced and bursting with flavor. A bit of fresh baked bread in there as well...nice biterness on the back of the palate. Damn good.

Mouthfeel is thick and creamy with great chewy body...leaves some nice lacing down my glass as well. A tasty, easy to drink brew that works well on a cold night...I like it! Thanks to kmpitz2 for hooking me up with the bottle.

Dark red, caramel. Small khaki head on the pour that reduced to the thinnest of layers and a ring around the glass.

Aroma is loaded with sweet malts, caramel and some sweet bread, raw sugar with a bit of bubblegum. Floral and some citrus hops blend in nicely. A dash of alcohol with a hint of fusalness compliments well. A bit of peppery spice as well.

Flavor is quite a bit hoppier and finishes with a touch of bitterness. Balance is superb though. Hops have a citrus and piney edge. Flavor is again caramel and some raw sugar. A touch of alcohol as well, but still quite hidden.

This is super easy to drink. A bit like a large IPA with its balance, not an overhopped DIPA. Good medium to full bodied mouthfeel with just the right amount of carbonation to add a touch of crispness.